If that’s the basis for satisfaction, then I guess we should be happy with the $5 million that the Florida legislature allocated for the arts in this year’s state budget, the same as last year, and a drastic increase over $2.5 million in fiscal 2012 and the $950,000 in fiscal 2011.

But I’m not satisfied.

Yes, I’m happy there’s some money in the state budget for the Cultural and Museum Grants program, for general program support for arts organizations, but legislators aren’t doing anyone any favors by not boosting the levels back to where they were not long ago. In 2006-07, the state allocated $13.1 million to support nonprofit arts and cultural programs.

The state budget has to support a lot of different programs, and I can’t make a strong argument that cultural organizations should get more of what’s available over programs that help children, the elderly and others in need.

But I’m not talking a kind of “Sophie’s Choice,” where you have to kill off one program to fund another. In fact, by further supporting the arts, the state could benefit and potentially have more money to allocate to other issues.

A scene from the Asolo Rep production of "The God of Carnage." CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/PROVIDED BY ASOLO REP

According to a recent Americans for the Arts study, the arts contributed $180 million to the Sarasota County economy through direct and indirect spending. Combine that with other, larger counties where theater, dance, music and visual arts probably bring in even more revenue, and you’ve got a significant impact on the state’s economy.

The more arts organizations can produce and flourish, the more they can help contribute to the economy in the form of tax revenues that come from meals purchased and hotel stays.

That benefit is one of the reasons Sarasota County allocates part of its tourist tax revenues to arts programs.

They are a tourist draw, helping to distinguish Sarasota from the state’s many other beachfront communities. After the sun goes down, the arts keep Sarasota (and quite a few other counties) a valuable tourist destination.

In past years during the Florida legislative session, I received many e-mails warning me of dire circumstances if I didn’t contact legislators and encourage their support for more arts funding.

I heard nothing this year. There was no drastic concern about huge cuts, perhaps, so there was no drive to make such contacts.

But people concerned about all sorts of other funding issues do reach out to their legislators, and arts organizations and their supporters need to make a similar pitch every year.

Arts leaders across the state should be inviting legislators to attend performances and exhibits and helping to create personal experiences that will live on in the minds of those who vote on such funding.

The more legislators who are touched by such experiences, or become active supporters or volunteers to those organizations, the more who are likely to vote for needed funding. It becomes harder to say no when you’re being asked to support something you already appreciate.

The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

But supporters also need to stress the economic benefits. An Americans for the Arts study showed that nationwide in 2010, arts and culture organizations spent $61.12 billion, while their audiences added another $74.08 billion, for a total of $135.2 billion in expenditures. That money helped to support 4.13 million full-time jobs. The arts also generated $22.3 billion in revenue to local, state and federal governments. You can’t ignore the economic impact of the arts, locally, statewide and nationally.

Florida now ranks among toward the bottom of all states in terms of arts funding, when just a few years ago it was closer to the top. If the state’s economy is supposedly improving, why aren’t we doing more to help it grow further with even a small increase in state allocations for the arts, which will generate even bigger returns.

Jay Handelman

Jay Handelman is the theater and television critic for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He also is President of the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association and a two-time past chairman of the association's executive committee. He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4931. Follow him at @jayhandelman on Twitter. Make sure to "Like" Arts Sarasota on Facebook for news and reviews of the arts.

Last modified: May 12, 2013
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